Maybe moving to (north) Leimert Park... advice appreciated (Los Angeles, Inglewood: real estate, apartments)

[Nomchariso]

My wife and I are Asian working professionals in our late 20s/early 30s. We are looking at some single family homes in the north part of Leimert Park (north of King, where--we understand--Japanese-Americans historically have lived). We are moving from the Miracle Mile area, where we are currently renting.

We are not too familiar with the area south of the 10, but know of course it gets less inviting as you get further south and east. If folks could give some advice or other feedback, I'd really appreciate it.

Public safety/crime, demographics, amenities, real estate pricing/appreciation, other considerations -- anything thoughts would be helpful.

[Taiko]

I don't know if any Japanese Americans are left. The last kids went through the local schools in the 1980s and mostly left. The same process is now occurring with the Black population, which is being replaced by the grandchildren of the white flightees,
started to move in right on the heels of the returning WWII interned

[Vic Romano]

Leimert Park is South of the Miracle Mile.

I don't think there are many Asians in the area. You may want to consider Culver City/Mar Vista along the 405. What are your restrictions on commuting?

[jm1982]

Some demographic and crime data on leimart Park. Looks like 4.6% Asian.

Leimert Park Profile - Mapping L.A. - Los Angeles Times

[Taiko]

Over the decades the cultural center of Black people in Los Angeles moved from Central Ave to Crenshaw, the western border of Leimert Park. Meanwhile the White Flight was a little further west at the Inglewood Oil Fields at La Cienga as you go into Culver City. That has changed this century as White folks have moved back to the Baldwin Hills west of Crenshaw. It is only a matter of time before appreciable numbers of White folks cross Crenshaw into Leimert Park.

With the construction of the train there is some disruption of Black cultural institutions but with the declining Black population of Los Angeles the clubs, churches and such are not going anywhere. And Crenshaw would remain Black like Filipinotown, Little Bangladesh, Thai Town etc retain their culture amid a sea of Latinos.

Now in the second half of last century the Japanese Americans were the local minority group to a Black majority and many Japanese institutions were visible but that generation has aged out as the children moved away and the shops are mostly sold off. Like Chinese is/was the default description of Asians for the local Latinos for older Black folks of Southwestern LA "Japanese" was the default description of an Asian until around the time of the Rodney King Riots when the Korean shop owner, replacing the Jewish shop owner of the 60's riots started to come south from Koreatown. You still have some retired Japanese seniors and non Japanese Asians moving in as they did west of Crenshaw a decade before White folk started to return to the area.

I would guess that the non Japanese Asians, like those who moved west of Crenshaw about a decade before the White return, along with the Asian spouses, and thus the children, of the non Asian spouses accounts for the 4.6% number the LA Times came up with. The children being interesting to me because in my generation they would have been accepted as Black and maybe "single drop ruled" as Black where as today with a White not a Black second parent they will be categorized as Asian.

[IM90046]

Leimert Park is on the expensive side already. The only people buying homes there are upper middle class. Much real appreciation in prices has happened this last cycle. There should be more real appreciation when the Crenshaw line is completed and the Mall breaks ground on its massive redevelopment. It's also pretty diverse for a nice neighborhood. Homeowner demographics are changing quickly, but there are many apartments in the surrounding area that stabilize the population and protect people from displacement. Super central to DTLA, Westside, South Bay, Hollywood great geographical location. Lastly, it's a beautiful neighborhood, tree-lined streets, nice size lots, diverse architecture.

[Marv1985]

I agree about that area being expensive having grown up there with my family from 1966-87 and my mom lived there until she passed away in December of 2005.


To this day it is an oasis in the middle of the city but I feel that the houses in that area are overpriced; my brothers and I sold the house we grew up in just up the street from Audubon Jr HS in the summer of 2016 for $545,000 and 2 1/2 years later, a 3 BR 1.5 house on the same street is on the market for $749,000.


That being said, there's no doubt in my mind that Macy's will NEVER upgrade their store on Crenshaw to the level of their stellar stores in Fox Hills Mall, Century City, Westside Pavillion or Manhattan Beach because they and other major retailers have no idea of how much $$$$$$$ there is in the Leimert Park/Baldwin Hills area and that that's been the case for well over three decades, and there have been numerous stories on that subject on both the local and national newscasts for years and years.



The Crenshaw rail line is way overdue but there's NO evidence that it will bring well-heeled shoppers into that area, although the locals will certainly use it.

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by IM90046

Leimert Park is on the expensive side already. The only people buying homes there are upper middle class. Much real appreciation in prices has happened this last cycle. There should be more real appreciation when the Crenshaw line is completed and the Mall breaks ground on its massive redevelopment. It's also pretty diverse for a nice neighborhood. Homeowner demographics are changing quickly, but there are many apartments in the surrounding area that stabilize the population and protect people from displacement. Super central to DTLA, Westside, South Bay, Hollywood great geographical location. Lastly, it's a beautiful neighborhood, tree-lined streets, nice size lots, diverse architecture.

I agree it’s expensive these days . But pretty diverse ?

“Within the neighborhood, African Americans made up 79.6% of the population, with Latinos at 11.4%, Asian 4.9%, White 1.5%, and Other 3.2%”

[IM90046]

Originally Posted by jm1982

I agree it’s expensive these days . But pretty diverse ?

“Within the neighborhood, African Americans made up 79.6% of the population, with Latinos at 11.4%, Asian 4.9%, White 1.5%, and Other 3.2%”

You're using data from 2008. Much, much has changed in 11 years, home prices in the area have almost doubled.

But you're right, I should clarify, I mainly meant amongst the single-family home neighborhoods, they are extremely diverse. There are many apartments in the area with a diverse population of black people.

[sean1the1]

Originally Posted by IM90046

You're using data from 2008. Much, much has changed in 11 years, home prices in the area have almost doubled.

But you're right, I should clarify, I mainly meant amongst the single-family home neighborhoods, they are extremely diverse. There are many apartments in the area with a diverse population of black people.

Yeah, when you go around the SFH's in the neighborhood you see many different diverse families. I was surprised, but I think it's a beautiful neighborhood whoose only going up.